Learning difficult English words helps you speak and write more clearly and confidently. Many learners know simple words but struggle with advanced or rare vocabulary. This list of 250 difficult words with meanings and example sentences will help you understand, use, and remember new English words easily.
What Are Difficult Words in English?
Difficult words are those that are less common, hard to spell, or challenging to understand. They are usually found in academic writing, news articles, or professional conversations.
These words make your English sound richer and more expressive when used correctly.
Difficult Words with Meaning
Below are some advanced English words with short meanings. These will help you write and speak better.
| Word | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Abate | To reduce or lessen | The pain began to abate after taking medicine. |
| Abdicate | Give up power | The king abdicated his throne. |
| Aberration | Unusual change | His angry outburst was an aberration. |
| Abhorrent | Hateful or disgusting | Animal cruelty is abhorrent. |
| Abstruse | Hard to understand | The lesson was too abstruse for new students. |
| Accentuate | To make noticeable | Her smile accentuated her beauty. |
| Acquiesce | To agree silently | He finally acquiesced to their demand. |
| Adamant | Firm, not changing | She was adamant about her opinion. |
| Admonish | To warn gently | The teacher admonished the late students. |
| Affluent | Wealthy, rich | He belongs to an affluent family. |
Hard Words with Meaning
Here are more hard English words often used in writing, books, and professional speech.
| Word | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Alleviate | To make less severe | The medicine alleviated his pain. |
| Ambiguous | Having double meaning | His answer was ambiguous. |
| Ameliorate | Improve or make better | The reforms ameliorated living conditions. |
| Anomaly | Irregular thing | Scientists found an anomaly in data. |
| Antithesis | Exact opposite | Love is the antithesis of hate. |
| Apathy | No emotion or interest | His apathy shocked his friends. |
| Arduous | Very difficult | It was an arduous climb. |
| Astute | Clever, smart | He is an astute businessman. |
| Audacious | Bold or daring | That was an audacious decision. |
| Belligerent | Aggressive or hostile | His belligerent behaviour scared others. |
50 Difficult Words with Meaning
Here’s a list of 50 challenging words every learner should know.
| Word | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Benevolent | Kind and helpful | She is a benevolent woman. |
| Blatant | Very obvious | It was a blatant mistake. |
| Bolster | Support or strengthen | Evidence bolstered his claim. |
| Brevity | Shortness of time | He spoke with brevity. |
| Cajole | Persuade softly | She cajoled him to stay. |
| Candour | Honest speech | He spoke with candour. |
| Capitulate | To surrender | They capitulated after long battle. |
| Clandestine | Secret or hidden | They held a clandestine meeting. |
| Coerce | Force someone | He was coerced into signing. |
| Complacent | Self-satisfied | He became complacent after success. |
| Concur | Agree or share opinion | I concur with your view. |
| Conundrum | A puzzle or mystery | It’s a conundrum to solve. |
| Cryptic | Mysterious meaning | His message was cryptic. |
| Cursory | Quick and careless | He gave a cursory look. |
| Deference | Respect for others | Show deference to elders. |
| Dearth | Lack or shortage | There is a dearth of teachers. |
| Delineate | Describe in detail | The plan was well delineated. |
| Deride | To mock or laugh at | They derided his idea. |
| Diligent | Hard-working | She is a diligent student. |
| Disdain | Strong dislike | He looked with disdain at them. |
| Eccentric | Unusual, odd | His eccentric habits are funny. |
| Eloquent | Fluent in speech | She gave an eloquent speech. |
| Emulate | Copy with respect | He tried to emulate his father. |
| Enigmatic | Mysterious | Her smile was enigmatic. |
| Entice | Attract or tempt | The smell enticed everyone. |
| Erudite | Highly educated | The professor is erudite. |
| Esoteric | Known by few | It’s an esoteric subject. |
| Exacerbate | Make worse | The heat exacerbated his pain. |
| Exuberant | Full of energy | The crowd was exuberant. |
| Facetious | Joking not serious | Don’t be facetious now. |
| Fallacy | False belief | That is a common fallacy. |
| Fastidious | Very careful | He is fastidious about details. |
| Flagrant | Clearly wrong | It was a flagrant lie. |
| Frivolous | Silly or unimportant | Stop making frivolous comments. |
| Futile | Useless or pointless | The effort was futile. |
| Garrulous | Very talkative | She is garrulous by nature. |
| Gregarious | Social and friendly | He is a gregarious person. |
| Guile | Clever deceit | He used guile to win. |
| Haphazard | Without plan | The books were placed haphazardly. |
| Heinous | Very wicked | It was a heinous crime. |
| Impeccable | Perfect | Her manners are impeccable. |
| Impetuous | Acting without thinking | Don’t be impetuous. |
| Implacable | Cannot be calmed | His anger was implacable. |
| Impromptu | Without preparation | He gave an impromptu speech. |
| Incessant | Never stopping | The rain was incessant. |
| Incorrigible | Cannot be changed | He is an incorrigible liar. |
| Indolent | Lazy | He is indolent at work. |
| Ineffable | Too great for words | Her joy was ineffable. |
| Innocuous | Harmless | It was an innocuous joke. |
| Insolent | Disrespectful | He gave an insolent reply. |
Difficult Words in English with Meaning
These words often appear in literature, newspapers, and academic writing.
| Word | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Intrepid | Fearless | The intrepid explorer went alone. |
| Irate | Very angry | The teacher was irate. |
| Judicious | Wise and careful | Be judicious in decisions. |
| Magnanimous | Kind and forgiving | She was magnanimous after winning. |
| Malevolent | Wishing harm | He had a malevolent look. |
| Meticulous | Very careful | She is meticulous with her work. |
| Nebulous | Unclear | His plan is nebulous. |
| Nonchalant | Calm, not worried | He remained nonchalant. |
| Noxious | Harmful or poisonous | The gas was noxious. |
| Obfuscate | Make unclear | Don’t obfuscate the facts. |
100 Difficult Words with Meanings
| Word | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Obstinate | Stubborn | He is obstinate in opinion. |
| Omniscient | All-knowing | The narrator was omniscient. |
| Ostentatious | Showy | He wore an ostentatious suit. |
| Paradox | Self-contradictory idea | It’s a strange paradox. |
| Penchant | Strong liking | She has a penchant for music. |
| Perilous | Dangerous | They took a perilous journey. |
| Pernicious | Very harmful | Smoking is pernicious. |
| Perspicacious | Very wise | He gave a perspicacious answer. |
| Pragmatic | Practical | Take a pragmatic approach. |
| Precarious | Unsafe, unstable | The ladder is precarious. |
| Precocious | Early developed | A precocious child learns fast. |
| Prolific | Very productive | He is a prolific writer. |
| Quandary | Confused situation | He was in a quandary. |
| Quell | Stop or calm | The police quelled the protest. |
| Quintessential | Most typical | She is the quintessential teacher. |
| Rancour | Bitter anger | He spoke with rancour. |
| Recalcitrant | Disobedient | The recalcitrant student was punished. |
| Redundant | Not needed | The line is redundant. |
| Resilient | Able to recover | Children are resilient. |
| Sagacious | Wise | The old man was sagacious. |
| Scrutinise | Examine closely | He scrutinised the report. |
| Serendipity | Lucky finding | It was pure serendipity. |
| Sporadic | Irregular | Sporadic rain fell all day. |
| Superfluous | Unnecessary | Remove superfluous words. |
| Surreptitious | Secret | They exchanged surreptitious notes. |
| Tenacious | Persistent | She is a tenacious learner. |
| Ubiquitous | Everywhere | Smartphones are ubiquitous now. |
| Uncanny | Strange | It’s uncanny how alike they are. |
| Vacillate | To waver | He vacillated between choices. |
| Vehement | Strong emotion | She spoke vehemently. |
| Verbose | Too wordy | His essay is verbose. |
| Vindicate | Prove right | He was vindicated by evidence. |
| Voracious | Very eager | She’s a voracious reader. |
| Wary | Careful, cautious | Be wary of strangers. |
| Whimsical | Playful, unusual | Her style is whimsical. |
| Zealous | Very passionate | He’s zealous about learning. |
New Difficult Words with Meaning
| Word | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Abdomen | Part between chest and legs | He felt pain in his abdomen. |
| Acrimony | Bitterness | There was acrimony in the debate. |
| Adversity | Hardship | He faced adversity with courage. |
| Altruism | Selfless concern | True altruism is rare. |
| Belittle | Make someone seem small | Don’t belittle others. |
| Capitulate | Give up resistance | They finally capitulated. |
| Deplete | Use up or reduce | Resources were depleted. |
| Ephemeral | Lasting a short time | Beauty is ephemeral. |
| Frugal | Economical | He lives a frugal life. |
| Hinder | Block or delay | Rain may hinder our plans. |
Why Learn Difficult English Words?
Learning difficult words improves your:
- Vocabulary power – express ideas clearly.
- Reading skills – understand advanced texts.
- Writing ability – sound fluent and professional.
- Speaking confidence – communicate better in all situations.
Use of Difficult Words in Different Situations
Difficult words can appear in different situations like:
- Formal writing → essays, reports, or academic papers.
- Daily speech → when you want to sound precise or descriptive.
- Professional language → used in meetings or emails.
Examples:
- He gave a concise explanation of the topic. → (short and clear)
- Her tone was very sarcastic during the meeting. → (mocking or ironic)
- The doctor used a complex medical term. → (hard to understand)
Learning these 250 difficult English words with meanings helps you build a strong vocabulary, improve your speaking, and write with clarity and style.
- Practise five new words every day,
- Use them in sentences,
- and soon your English will sound more fluent and confident.
FAQs about Difficult English Words with Meaning
What are some difficult English words with meaning?
Some commonly searched difficult English words include aberration (unusual change), alacrity (quick willingness), benevolent (kind and generous), conundrum (confusing problem), and eloquent (fluent in speech). These words are often used in formal writing and advanced conversations.
Which are the hardest English words to understand?
Words like obfuscate (to make unclear), esoteric (understood by few), nonplussed (confused), flabbergasted (shocked), and incongruous (not matching) are considered very hard to understand for learners because they have uncommon usage or complex meanings.
How can I learn difficult English words easily?
Learn 5 new words daily, write short sentences, and revise regularly. Using words like ambiguous, arduous, or meticulous in daily writing helps you remember them better. Flashcards or word games also make learning easier.
What are 10 most difficult words in English with meanings?
Here are 10 difficult English words with meanings:
Ephemeral – Lasting for a short time
Magnanimous – Kind and forgiving
Obstreperous – Noisy and hard to control
Ubiquitous – Found everywhere
Perfidious – Deceitful and untrustworthy
Sagacious – Wise and intelligent
Tenacious – Persistent and determined
Recalcitrant – Disobedient
Superfluous – Unnecessary
Insidious – Harmful in a secret way
Why is it important to learn difficult English words?
Learning difficult words like cognizant, exacerbate, or resilient improves vocabulary and communication. It helps you speak clearly, write effectively, and understand advanced reading materials, which builds confidence in both academic and professional use.
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